Integrated Strategies
| Integrated Strategies | Themes | Guide | Trivia |
Integrated Strategies (I.S.; not to be confused with Il Siracusano) is a roguelike game mode in Arknights.
Overview
The player must complete one "adventure" or "run" by clearing various operations and events divided through branching paths with different possibilities, hence the player must be ready for literally any situation although this is not always the case due to the intrinsic nature of the mode.
- Various items, referred to as "Collectibles", can be obtained to help the player and their team by providing various advantages, although some have disadvantages.
- The player does not have access to all of their Operators. Instead, Operators must be recruited by using Rec. Vouchers and HR Dispatch Letters at a cost of
Hope which increases as the Operator's rarity increases; see below for further information. As both Hope and Rec. Vouchers/HR Dispatch Letters are scarce resources, this means one must carefully consider which Operators to add into their I.S. roster. - A leveling system that is unique to each run (see below).
- Life Points also act as the player's "lives" and a resource; if one's LP reaches zero, the run ends in failure, although certain Collectibles can prevent this under specific circumstances.
The player may pause the run by returning to the main I.S. menu and resume it anytime (the run's time still counts while it is being paused), and abandon the run from the main I.S. menu when it is paused or quitting out of an I.S. operation; in both cases (the former since Phantom & Crimson Solitaire), the run will end in failure.
Take caution that if the player is disconnected or the game is forcefully shut down while in the middle of an I.S. operation, the run will end in failure once the player resumes it from the main I.S. menu!
If the run is abandoned during its starting up sequence (see below), the player must wait for one minute before they can start another run.
All I.S. themes from Crimson Solitaire are always available and can be accessed from the Terminal. This also extends to the respective theme's Path to Glory medals, which has no time constraints in obtaining them!
Operators
Recruitment and promotion
| “ | Select Operators that fit your squad to make combat easier. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
Operators are recruited through Rec. Vouchers and HR Dispatch Letters, which gives the player an opportunity to pick one Operator to be added into their I.S. roster or promoting Operators already added to the roster. Only Operators in the player's roster and I.S.-exclusive Operators (see below) that can be recruited through regular Rec. Vouchers; Operators not present in the player's roster may be available as Temporary Recruitment ones (explained below).
| “ | Training more Operators and developing the possibilities between them can grant you a greater advantage during combat. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
Keep in mind that Operators' level, Potential, skill upgrade/Mastery training, and Modules in I.S. will match with that in the player's own roster (e.g. if the player have SilverAsh at Elite 1 Level 60, their SilverAsh in I.S. will be at the same level and unable to use Truesilver Slash even when promoted; conversely, if the player have Exusiai at Elite 2 Level 50 and with the MAR-X Module unlocked, their Exusiai in I.S. will be at Elite 1 Level 80 when recruited and will reach the same level, and can use Overloading Mode, and have her Module activated once promoted); newly recruited Operators will be in at most Elite 1 maximum level with the skill level of 7 when recruited, and 4★ or above Elite 2 Operators will reach their highest level (and skill Mastery training, if one had done so) when promoted. Therefore, don't neglect on building non-core Operators (especially low-rarity ones) because they can (and will) be useful in a pinch during I.S. runs!
As mentioned before, recruiting and promoting Operators cost Hope; initially the player starts with 6 and can gain more throughout the run, with the costs being:
| Rarity | Recruit | Promote |
|---|---|---|
| 6★ | 6
|
3
|
| 5★ | 3
|
2
|
| 4★ | 2
|
1
|
| 3★ or lower | Free | N/A |
Certain Collectibles and items can be used to promote Operators without spending Hope.
| “ | Operators recruited via "Temporary Recruitment" will not consume Hope. Do not miss the opportunity. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
Temporary Recruitment Operators may be available on occassion when using Rec. Vouchers/HR Dispatch Letters, which costs no Hope to recruit (but still costs Hope to be promoted), have maxed out stats (which extends to Potential, skill upgrades/Mastery training, and Modules), and could be those that are not in the player's roster; Temp. Recruitment Operators in the player's roster, however, will always wear their default outfit.
Support Unit
| “ | During your initial recruitment, you can recruit your friends' Operators via Support Recruitment. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
Since Crimson Solitaire, the player can pick one Support Unit to help them throughout the run, but this must be done during the run's startup and the Support Unit cannot be changed for the remainder of the run.
The Support Unit still have to be recruited as with the player's own Operators before they can be used, and their stats will match with when the player uses them (e.g. if the owner raises the Support Unit during the run, their stats will only be updated after the run).
Exclusive
There are ten Operators exclusive to I.S..
| Elite | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reserve | ||
- The Elite Operators only have one skill but make up for this by having higher attributes than regular 5★ Operators.
- Tulip is added in Mizuki & Caerula Arbor.
- The Reserve Operators have no skills and lower attributes than other regular 3★ Operators but can be recruited multiple times, allowing more than one of them to be deployed at once.
- Reserve Operator - Defender is added in Caerula Arbor.
All I.S.-exclusive Operators are always available as Temporary Recruitment ones, but their Potential cannot be improved in any way. They also have no base skills since they are never available outside I.S..
Floors
An Integrated Strategies run is split into various nodes divided into six floors with the sixth can only be accessed once certain conditions are fulfilled. The first five floors have a node which will always appear at the end.
- 1st: Consists of 4 (5 in Caerula Arbor) nodes with Rogue Trader being the last.
- In Joklumarkar, the first node is a branch of 2 Operations.
- 2nd: Consists of 4 (5 in Caerula Arbor) nodes with Boons (Wish Fulfilled since Caerula Arbor) being the last.
- 3rd: Consists of 6 (5 in Joklumarkar) nodes with Dreadful Foe being the last.
- 4th: Consists of 6 (5 in Joklumarkar) nodes with Boons (Wish Fulfilled since Caerula Arbor) being the last.
- 5th: Consists of 7 (6 in Joklumarkar) nodes with Dreadful Foe being the last.
- In Joklumarkar, a Prophecy is always the second-to-last node of the 5th floor.
- 6th: Always consists of 4 nodes in the following order.
- Fungimist/Crimson Solitaire/Caerula Arbor: Rogue Trader > Safe House > Emergency Operation > Dreadful Foe
- Joklumarkar: Rogue Trader > (Emergency) Operation > Emergency Operation > Dreadful Foe
In addition to the standard five/six floors, a secret floor is introduced in Caerula Arbor, which can only be entered through a specific event. Clearing the secret floor takes the player back to the floor where they entered it and proceed into the node succeeding the event.
Nodes
| “ | Carefully plan out your route. The decisions you make at each step along the way are very important. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
| Node | Description |
|---|---|
 Operation
|
Everyone has their weapons drawn. They're definitely not here to negotiate. Self-explanatory. Operations can be distinguished by the ISW-NO code.
|
 Emergency Operation
|
Some violence may well exceed your expectations, a very common occurrence. An ISW-NO operation with various handicaps, similar to that of Challenge Modes, and always awards a Collectible when cleared. |
   Dreadful Foe
|
Criminals, ruffians, and the damned... You're in trouble. An operation featuring I.S.-exclusive bosses, which can be distinguished by the ISW-DF code.
|
 Encounter
|
New friends, old rivals... Strange encounters never age. Only scars stand the test of time. A random event. The player can usually choose to leave the Encounter, forfeiting its possible outcomes. |
 Boons
|
A little bit of help for your journey. Gives a random Collectible. |
 Safe House
|
Nobody will bother you here, and there's plenty of food and water. No need to be so tense all the time. Fungimist: Quiet, comfortable, and secluded from the world. It's time to take a break. Crimson Solitaire: Quiet, comfortable, and secluded from the castle's trifling matters. It's time to take a break. Choose one of three free rewards listed below.
|
 Downtime Recreation
|
A little indulgence in life's simpler pleasures goes a long way in fighting the monotonous and the harrowing on your long road ahead. Fungimist: All work and no play makes even clever Operators become dull. Crimson Solitaire: Give away all your resources in the name of art. A mini-game where the player spend some resources for additional resources or even Collectibles depending on the player's fortune. |
 Rogue Trader
|
Neither an ally nor an enemy. Some people like to sit on the fence. See Rogue Trader for more information. |
 Wish Fulfilled
|
Featured in: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor, Expeditioner's Joklumarkar There are many ways of making a wish, but the wish itself is almost always the same thing. An Encounter that supersedes Boons by giving a Collectible to the player for free. In Joklumarkar, Wish Fulfilled is now of its own node.
|
 Regional Commissions
|
Featured in: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor The long road is unfinished; the only ending you see is a new signpost. An Encounter where the player can accept a Commission from three difficulties which merits various rewards of their choice when completed. For more information, see Regional Commissions. |
 Fortituous Opportunity
|
Featured in: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor The lighthouse has fallen. People open their bags, delivering light for each other. An Encounter where the player can exchange one of their Collectibles with a different one.
Fortituous Opportunity will only appear after the "Transactional Behavior" Cognitive Shaping node is unlocked. |
 Lost and Found
|
Featured in: Expeditioner's Joklumarkar The void of helplessness will be filled by the joy and satisfaction of gain. Allows the player to exchange one of their Collectibles or Foldartals with a different one.
Lost and Found will only appear after the "Balanced Benefit" Cross-cultural Comparison node is unlocked. |
 Emergency Dispatch
|
Featured in: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor A lantern cannot illuminate without oil, a fincatching boat cannot sail without fuel. Do not underestimate the importance of adequate supplies. An Encounter where the player can send off one of their Operators until after the die roll at the start of next floor, at which the Operator will be automatically promoted (if not already) and suppresses the Rejection they had in addition to receiving some Originium Ingots.
Emergency Dispatch will only appear after the "Resource Allocation" Cognitive Shaping node is unlocked. |
Scout
|
Featured in: Expeditioner's Joklumarkar Someone will always have to take the first step, to show the way for those who come after. Allows the player to send off one of their Operators until after receiving the Clairvoyance at the start of the next floor, at which the Operator will be automatically promoted (if not already) and the player receives some Originium Ingots.
Scout will only appear after the "Accurate Observation" Cross-cultural Comparison node is unlocked. |
Wander Into Wonderland
|
Featured in: Mizuki & Caerula Arbor And thus the bard sings: "Oft are desolate fields and floral gardens neighbors; oft is losing one's way but another adventure." An Encounter where the player may enter the secret floor, which is less likely to appear than other events and will only appear once per run if it does.
Wander Into Wonderland will only appear after the "Curiosity" Cognitive Shaping node is unlocked. |
 Bosky Passage
|
Featured in: Expeditioner's Joklumarkar Branches on one side and leaves on the other, the unexplored land lies right next to you. Allows the player to enter the secret floor. Unlike Wander Into Wonderland in Caerula Arbor, Bosky Passage is more likely to appear (though still less likely than other nodes) and may appear multiple times in one run.
Bosky Passage cannot be turned into something else through Foldartals and will only appear after the "Spiritual Experience" Cross-cultural Comparison node is unlocked. |
 Prophecy
|
Featured in: Expeditioner's Joklumarkar Are your feet on the road, the mud, or in the snow? This node will always be in a regular state and cannot be targeted by Foldartals The player makes a decision which could decide the run's outcome. |
 Dense Fog
|
Featured in: Phantom & Crimson Solitaire, Mizuki & Caerula Arbor There's something in the mist, but you cannot see anything... The node cannot be identified until they become accessible. |
Since Caerula Arbor, there may be nodes connected vertically by a dashed line, which can be entered from either node (and changes the path as well) at the cost of 1 
(Caerula Arbor)/1 Anti-Interference Index (Joklumarkar).
Caerula Arbor also features "locked" branches that can only be accessed by spending Key and branches that are only accessible at low Light levels, otherwise the player can see the branch but unable to access it.
Command Level
Integrated Strategies feature a leveling mechanic separate from the regular leveling system and unique to each run called Command Level.
Players start at Command Level 1 and gains additional Command EXP for clearing (Emergency) Operations and Dreadful Foes. The player's Command Level will rise at certain Command EXP thresholds.
| Level | Req. EXP | Total EXP | Bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | 0 | – |
| 2 | 10 | 10 | Gains 4 and Hope cap +4
|
| 3 | 24 | 34 |
|
| 4 | 36 | 70 | Gains 5 and Hope cap +5
|
| 5 | 40 | 110 | Gains 6 and Hope cap +6
|
| 6 | 55 | 165 |
|
| 7 | 65 | 230 | Same as Command Level 5 |
| 8 | 70 | 300 | Gains 7 and Hope cap +7
|
| 9 | 75 | 375 |
|
| 10 | 80 | 455 | Same as Command Level 9 |
| 11 | 80 | 535 |
|
- Life Point cap increments are applicable from Caerula Arbor onwards.
- Command Level 11 can only be reached in Caerula Arbor by using the People-Oriented Squad with the "All for One" Cognitive Shaping node unlocked, which is added in Caerula Arbor's Expansion II.
Operations
| “ | The combat nodes in [Integrated Strategies] change at random. Understanding the rules of their changes will make your combats easier. | ” |
| —Loading screen tip in Integrated Strategies |
- Initially the player can only include 6 Operators in their squad, which is increased by one at Command Levels 6, 9, and 10, for a total of 9 Operators. The maximum possible amount of Operators that can be included in the squad is 13.
- One particular (Emergency) Operation can appear more than once in the same floor, but will never be twice in a row. Furthermore, the enemy lineup in (Emergency) Operations may be different in every instance.
- Since Crimson Solitaire:
- One particular (Emergency) Operation will never appear more than once in a single branch.
- It is possible to identify and view the information of Dreadful Foes upon entering the floor where it appears, unless if the node itself is in the Dense Fog state (see above).
- Until Crimson Solitaire, there are no penalties for losing Life Points when an enemy managed to enter an Protection Objective (i.e. leaking). From Caerula Arbor, leaking enemies will punish the player by making things more difficult, so exercise caution!
- Objective Shields will prevent LP loss from leaks.
- Watch out for the I.S.-exclusive bosses in Dreadful Foes, as they will deduct more LP than usual when leaked; the final bosses will even deduct a grand 30 LP!
- Sometimes the player can encounter a "bonus enemy" in (Emergency) Operations who will not reduce Life Points when leaked but awards a free Collectible when defeated.
Endings
Integrated Strategies is notable for having four different endings (from Crimson Solitaire onwards; Ceobe's Fungimist only have three endings).
From Caerula Arbor, each ending have three "endbooks" which provides additional information related to the respective ending and are unlocked by carrying out specific actions related to the ending.
- The first ending is the default, reached by simply clearing the Dreadful Foe in the fifth floor.
- The second ending is reached by changing the Dreadful Foe in the fifth floor by doing certain steps during a run and skipping those that would cause the player to enter the sixth floor, and then simply clearing it.
- The third and fourth endings are reached by doing certain steps during a run which will cause the player to enter the sixth floor upon clearing the Dreadful Foe in the fifth floor, and then clearing the Dreadful Foe acting as the last node of the sixth floor. The third ending is available from the theme's introduction while the fourth is added on the theme's Expansion II.
Other features
Starting up
Difficulty levels
- In Fungimist and Crimson Solitaire, the player must choose one of three difficulty levels before starting a run: Easy, Normal, and Hard (named differently in each theme).
- Easy: The player starts with a Collectible that buffs their units, but will only receive half the rewards and their progression will not be counted to unlock new Collectibles and Squads.
- Normal: The baseline difficulty.
- Hard: The player starts with a random "cursed" Collectible that buffs enemies and/or applies various handicaps in return for starting with a random positive Collectible as well and receiving 20% more rewards. The Hard difficulty is only available after completing a Normal run for the first time.
- From Caerula Arbor, there are multiple ascending levels of difficulty, colloquially called ascension by the community, with progressively increasing handicaps and rewards; higher levels are available by completing a run in the preceding level.
- Caerula Arbor has Easy, Normal, and +1 to +15 (for a total of 17 levels).
- Joklumarkar removes Easy in favor of Normal and +1 to +15 (for a total of 16 levels). Normal and +1 have positive handicaps but reduced rewards, and +2 is the standard.
Squads
After choosing a difficulty level, the player should choose a Squad to help them throughout the run. Not all Squads are available initially; most are available after certain conditions are fulfilled.
The available Squads differ with the I.S. theme.
Operation Rewards
| “ | You overcame at least two floors in your last exploration. You'll be able to receive more assistance this time. | ” |
If the player manages to clear the second floor on the previous run regardless of the outcome, one of the following six Operation Rewards can be chosen at the player's discretion upon starting the next run, but only three of them are available at a time, selected at random.
- More supplies: Starts with +3
(+3 Objective Shields since Mizuki & Caerula Arbor) - Give a speech before departing: Starts with +2
- Reserve fund support: Starts with +5
- Purchase a Collectible: Starts with no Originium Ingot and a random Collectible.
- Reclaim loot: Starts with -1 Hope and Hope cap, and a random Collectible.
- Just grab something: Starts with Water Boiler/Hot Water Kettle (+2 , +1 ; +1 , +1 since Mizuki & Caerula Arbor)
- Bring an extra key: Starts with +1 (Mizuki & Caerula Arbor)
- Ask for a good omen: Starts with +2 die rolls (Mizuki & Caerula Arbor)
Starting Operators
After choosing the difficulty level, Operation Reward (if available), and Squad, the player should choose the following Rec. Voucher options to recruit their initial three Operators before properly starting the run:
| First Move Advantage |    |
|---|---|
| Slow and Steady Wins the Race |   |
| Overcoming Your Weaknesses |    |
| As Your Heart Desires | 2 Rec. Vouchers and 1 Elite Rec. Voucher, all of which are of random classes (usually different with each other, but rarely two Rec. Vouchers of the same class are given) |
As Your Heart Desires is the only Rec. Voucher option in Ceobe's Fungimist. Since Crimson Solitaire, it is available by completing a run with any of the other three Rec. Voucher options.